Wedge Antilles’ new crew of X-Wing pilots isn’t ready for battle – but when the Imperials attack, they’ll have to risk life and limb to save their skin…and the New Republic! Join the Legendary Adventures as we read X-Wing: Wraith Squadron!
When it really boils down to it, war is a machine. No matter how well you think you’re doing in said war, you’re always going to need to produce more troops, more ships, and more battles. And this is the case even though the New Republic seems to be doing an excellent job wrapping up the Galactic Civil War. Hard-fought but costly victories at Endor, Bakura, and Mindor have started to add up for the New Republic. Even though the Galactic Empire has survived as a Remnant, the New Republic is gaining power across the galaxy and gaining new allies. Recently, Wedge Antilles has led a squadron of X-wing pilots, the recently re-tooled Rogue Squadron, on a massive assault on Coruscant, liberating the former capital of the Republic from Imperial control. But, of course, the fight was anything but easy: Imperial Admiral Ysanne Isard unleashed a deadly virus across the face of Coruscant, which lead the Rogue Squadron to cripple both Admiral Isard and Warland Zsinj.
Unfortunately, the war continues, and the New Republic needs to bring in some new blood. So, Wedge puts together a new team of fliers, composed of pilots from many different squadrons, some who have been cast out or washed out of their own pilot training. These pilots would serve both as starfighter pilots AND a commando unit, probably inspired by the Liberation of Coruscant. During that Battle, some X-Wing pilots were forced to act as ground assault units, something a lot weren’t trained for. Some of these pilots were obvious choices: Wedge himself; his gunner from Hoth, Wes Janson; or Jesmin Ackbar. But other Wraith pilots were given chances that others might not have based on their past. Garik Loran was a holovid actor; Tyria Sarkin was framed for selling starfighters by her former commander; Eurrsk Thri’ag was a Bothan with skills not immediately suited toward flying. And some were just wholly unique on their own: Voort sanBinring was a Gamorrean who had been biologically altered.
These Wraith pilots would prove to be a massive shift in the New Republic’s strategy. As we saw during the height of the Galactic Civil War, major starfighter squadrons were mostly composed of humans, like Red and Gold Squadron during the Battle of Yavin or Green Squadron in the Battle of Endor. Now, as the New Republic has gained more and more allies across the galaxy, the squadrons are becoming more diverse to accommodate that change. It also marks a shift in how the New Republic would allocate resources. In previous major battles, especially when the New Republic was only a Rebellion, only the best starfighter pilots would be given a chance to fly. Now, as the New Republic has been given more and more resources, even washouts and unlikely pilots are given their own ship.
We also see how the Empire has evolved after its loss as Endor. Without a central leader like Emperor Sheev Palpatine, the Imperial army and fleet has decomposed and turned into warring factions. One of the most powerful factions is that of Warlord Zsinj, in control of quite a few stormtrooper legions and Star Destroyers. After the death of Admiral Ysane Isard, Zsinj needs new leaders, and without a leader, he can appoint whomever he wishes. In this case, he appoints an Imperial agent named Tigrit to become an Admiral, in charge of a single Star Destroyer. This appointment reflects the autonomy that the warlords give themselves, and sort of shows their desperation. Tigrit has had no experience as an Admiral, yet he is thrust into a position of power after the loss of Isard.
Neither Tigrit nor the Wraiths have much time to become accustomed to their new roles. Tigrit leads assaults on Folor and Mobroe, but the Wraiths, with their varied experiences and expertices, are able to set a few cunning traps for him, costing him two Star Destroyers and the battles. This is the Galactic Civil War as it was fought before Endor: cunning and brave pilots using their wits to take down the Empire. They come up with a plan to take Tigrit down in his own Star Destroyer: pose as an escort flier, dress as Imperial operatives, get on his ship, and take it down from the inside. Maybe having a holo-actor is turning into a good thing?
Turns out that Zsinj’s latest plan is to try and hook up with some of the other autonomous warlods and consolidate a bit of Imperial power, mostly under his own banner. His own fleet is considerable, and it sounds like he knows a few other warlords have been also getting their hands on a few more resources than normal. If they were able to combine their fleets, Zsinj orders Tigrit, who is growing more and more arrogant, despite his losses, to pick up a fleet of TIE Fighters from the Pakkerd Light Facility. Turns out, quite a few people and businesses are still very willing to work with the Empire, despite the fact that they are clearly careening toward oblivion. Unfortunately for the Empire, this plan is foiled as the Wraiths successfully board Tigrit’s ship, crippling its power cells. Tigrit’s escape attempt is blocked when he is destroyed in a fleeing TIE Interceptor.
So, thankfully, the New Republic has a powerful new Squadron on the docket, ready to take down Imperials across the galaxy. Which is great, because Zsinj is looking to consolidate his forces with the larger Empire, and Wraith Squadron will be called upon to stop that…before he grows too strong.
Legendary Travel Tips:
-This novel is preceded by The Bacta War and followed by Iron Fist.
–Aaron Allston joins the team on the X-Wing series with this novel. Bringing warmth and humor to the military genre seems to be a high point of the series, and getting to know a new cast has rarely been this enjoyable. He would later write some of the better novels in both the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi maxi-series, but I much prefer his style here.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor!
New Republic Era: Truce at Bakura | Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor | Rogue Squadron | Wedge’s Gamble | The Krytos Trap | The Bacta War